


Red Wine

by Lastavica



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Best Friends, Birthday, Birthday Presents, Bye bye Marcus!, California Wine, Dating, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Fun Shot, Going on Dates, Grenache Syrah Mourvedre, I Heart Them!!!!, I'm a wine geek, I'm very pleased with how this nerdy little fluff fest turned out!, One Shot, Patrick knows all, Porch sitting is the best night time activity, Pre White Orchids, Romance, Season/Series 07, See yaaaa!, Texas Wine, This is what happens when wine nerdery and fangirling mix, Washington, Washington Wine, Wine, Yet I'm sitting here drinking beer, Yum!, birthday cuteness, nerd alert!, red wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:29:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28060941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastavica/pseuds/Lastavica
Summary: Guess who figures out what Teresa's favorite wine is?
Relationships: Patrick Jane/Teresa Lisbon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Red Wine

Teresa Lisbon wasn't picky about wine. Besides preferring red over white, she was happy to drink whatever was put in front of her. Of course, living in Sacramento and San Fransisco for most of her adult life, she'd enjoyed the spectrum of north coast and central valley California reds. She liked Napa cabs, all the different zins and Sonoma pinots. Big purple Lodi blends didn't bother her at all and she always enjoyed the ever present merlot. It wasn't until her time as Cannon River Police Chief that Lisbon discovered her favorite style of red wine. The store in town sold a wide variety of local Washington wines and she liked to try different ones every time she went to buy a bottle. The cabs were unlike their California counterparts and the merlots were great, but it was the Washington GSM blends she loved. Syrah she was of course familiar with, but Grenache and Mourvedre were totally new to her. The first GSM from Washington she tried had been a welcoming gift from one of the deputies. It tasted like bright juicy red fruit, but it wasn't heavy like a cab. It wasn't light like a pinot either. It was deep and spicy, but didn't suck the saliva right off her teeth. It was delicious and she became an instant fan of the style. So, during those nearly two years in Washington, she often had a glass of one as she read Jane's letters on her couch, or watched some show that barely held her interest. There hadn't been much else for her to do in Cannon River.

Life in Austin was far busier and she often grabbed whatever bottle was cheapest at the store. When she was dating Marcus they'd usually share a bottle of something nice when they were out for dinner. Again, she wasn't picky. He always made sure to have a bottle of some kind on hand for whenever she came over.

After Jane's walls finally crumbled and hers along with them, the two of them discovered Texas wine together. On a Saturday, they went to one of the many wineries in the hill country outside Austin. Teresa thought it was a lovely date and really enjoyed the wine there. They expanded their repertoire and found reds from other parts of Texas at a shop near her house. They learned they really liked the ones from the High Plains area up toward Amarillo.

On her birthday, Jane took her out to an extremely nice restaurant. They shared a great red together and Teresa enjoyed every bite of the (most likely) very expensive meal. He had refused to let her see the check, saying it was her birthday and he couldnt spend as much money on her as he wanted. She'd laughed and killed the last few drops of wine in her glass.

Afterwards, they sat arm in arm on her front porch steps just enjoying the night together. After a little while he told her he had a surprise for her. She waited while he went inside to get it. When he came out, he handed her a glass filled with bright red wine and set an empty one down for himself. He kept the bottle hidden behind his back and sat down on the step beside her.

"Where's yours?"

"Just try it." he insisted.

She eyed him and put the glass to her lips. He grinned as her eyes lit up when she tasted it. She swallowed the sip and exclaimed, "Yum!"

"You like it?" He asked, still grinning wide.

"I love this. What is it?"

He produced the bottle from behind his back and showed it to her. She recognized the label from her time in Washington and realized she'd tasted it before. Her eyes shot to his laughing face.

"How'd you know?!"

With a tilt of his head he shrugged innocently. Then he poured a glass for himself. Taking a sip, he agreed. "Mmm!"

"Right?" She said, gently knocking her shoulder against his.

"Happy Birthday." Patrick said. They clinked their glasses together and he leaned in to kiss her. She reciprocated happily.

"Thank you for the wine."

"My pleasure."

"You're not gonna tell me how you knew it's my favorite, are you?"

He was looking out at the yard, his eyes sparkling. "Nope."

She shook her head and took another sip. A smile spread across her face as she leaned against his arm.

Leave it to Jane to figure out what she'd forgotten she loves.

**Author's Note:**

> Totally been wanting to write about Teresa loving Washington wine since she lived there and Patrick of course somehow knowing exactly which kind. I LOVE THEM! Was very happy to get this little fun shot banged out on this fine Sunday evening. :D It is the lamest title in the history of the world, but I got nothin' tonight.


End file.
